Cleaning and massage device for dental purposes



30, 1936. Y L" BLANCHARD 2,@45,939

CLEANING AND MASSAGE DEVICE FOR DENTAL PURPOSES Filed March 18, 1935 Patented June. 30, 1936 UNETE ATEN CLEANING AND MASSAGE DEVICE FOR DENTAL PURPOSES 2 Claims.

The present invention relates to a cleaning and massage device for dental purposes, and has for its object to provide an improved device of the above indicated character adapted for effective cleaning of. the teeth, in general, and especially the inter-dental spaces, as well as for massage treatment of the gums.

According to the present invention, there is provided an element of flexible material that is capable of being used not only for cleaning readily accessible tooth surfaces, but is also particularly adapted for use by either dentist or patient in cleaning the inter-dental spaces and in the treatment of diseased conditions of the same.

The device is adapted for use with ordinary tooth pastes and powders, as well as with special.

liquids of a medicinalcharacter, either alone or in combination with a gum massaging effect, as desired. The above and other advantageous features of the invention will hereinafter more fully appear from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in

Which:

Fig. 1 is a view in front elevation of a device embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation of the device of Fi 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a view on an enlarged scale illustrating the use of the device in cleaning an inter-dental space.

Figs. 5 and 6 are horizontal sectional views on the same scale as Fig. 3, further illustrating the cleaning action.

Fig. 7 shows a modification of the device, as incorporated in a finger applicator.

Fig. 8 shows a still further modification of the device.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the different figures.

Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2, the invention is shown for purposes of illustration as comprising a combined cleaning and massage element I composed of resilient material such as rubber, the element being suitably mounted on a handle 2 by means of a metal shank 3. As best shown in Fig. 3, the shank 3 terminates in a head 4 having an opening in order to facilitate the formation of the rubber element l thereon, as by dipping or molding, although it is obvious that the element I can be applied to the shank 3 in other ways.

As best shown in Fig. 5, the element l is in the form of a cup providing an outer annular wall 5 and aninner annular Wall 6 spaced from each other by a. distance at least as great as the thickness of the walls 5 and 6, and with the central portion within the wall 6 entirely clear. It is also to be noted that the inner wall 6 does not extend upwardly from the bottom of the cup quite as far as does the outer wall 5, for a purpose which will hereinafter appear. Referring now to Fig. 4, which shows, in outline, a pair of adjoining teeth with the inter-dental space between them indicated at 1, it will be seen that the diameter of the opening within the inner wall 6 is substantially equal to the width of the inter-dental space, approximately at the gum line 8.

When using the device for the purpose of cleaning teeth, particularly an inter-dental space, the gaps within the walls 5 and 6 are filled with tooth paste, or powder as desired, and the element applied to an inter-dental space substantially as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. Then when pressure is'applied, the walls 5 and 6 tend to collapse as shown in Fig. 6, by reason of their engagement with the teeth and gum, and the relative rigidity of the metal shank 3, which results in forcing the cleaning material carried by the device into the inter-dental space. The fact that the outer wall 5 tends to collapse first due to its greater height, results in some of the cleaning material being initially forced into the interdental space before the inner wall 6 starts to yield, thereby giving a very effective penetration of the cleaning material when the walls are fully collapsed, as shown in Fig. 6. When pressure is relaxed, the walls 5 and 6 tend to resume their normal form as shown in Fig. 5, thereby sucking the cleaning material back between the walls.

Obviously, alternate compression and release of the element I will result in moving the cleaning material back and forth within an inter-deneither with or without the use of cleaning material, it having been found that the suction effect resulting from alternate compression and release of the element will serve to stimulate blood circulation in the gums. Thus, repeated applications of the device to the gums following an extraction greatly accelerates the regeneration of the gums so that a plate may be applied sooner than has been heretofore possible.

Referring now to Fig. '7, a cleaning and massage element la substantially identical with the element I is shown as being mounted at the end of a finger cot 9 that may be readily slipped over the end of a finger. Obviously, the element la. may be readily applied anywhere in the mouth, and in some ways is capable of even more effective manipulation by reason of the fact that the amount of pressure may be controlled more delicately with the finger tip than with a handle.

In Fig. 8 there is shown a further modification of the device wherein a pair of cleaning and massage elements lb are formed integrally with a handle ID that may be made of semi-rigid material, such as rubber, or a suitable composition that is readily molded, with the elements lb being made of soft rubber, as previously described with reference to the element I. Due to the yieldability of the handle 10, its flexure, indicated in dotted lines, will cause the elements to extend at an angle towards each other and thereby fit the contour of the jaw better, or the handle may be formed with a curved base for the elements.

From the foregoing, it is apparent that by the present invention there is provided an improved chamber within the inner wall of such diameter as r v to substantially enclose an inter-dental space,

and with the annular chamber between the walls of greater depth than said central chamber.

2. A device for dental purposes, comprising a handle having a metallic shank extending therefrom and terminating in a fiat portion with an opening extending transversely therethrough and a ecollapsible cleaning element of soft rubber molded around and enclosing the flat portion of 20 said shank, with said cleaning element providing a central cup-like chamber having its axis passing through said shank opening and with the rubber passing through and entirely filling said opening in the flat portion to anchor the base 25 of said element on said shank.

LLOYD H. BLANCHARD. 

